The Last Promise
by TheMarissaNight
Summary: Before Zuko is aware, his life is changing. Living with his uncle and a girl he had kidnapped Zuko truly begins to define himself. Kisuru - the kidnapped girl - is a Divinity. They are beings that hold the souls of the past Avatars within themselves. Drama. Mayhem. Zuko's story. Plot twists. Fun stuff.
1. The Earth Kingdom

Hello Nightians!

So, I have decided to write an ATLA fanfic.

Don't hate me for my butchered characters, alright?

Anyways, this one, like most of my others, involves Kisuru. Soooo... yeah.

I always loved Zuko's character, so I wanted to make their relationship interesting.

The more you read, the more you'll understand!

Enjoy :)

* * *

"Where are we?" My voice was raspy as I looked up into my captors eyes. My red hair fell forward, curling around my ribs. My arms were twisted behind me into a hold as I was pushed forward. My dark crystal eyes took everything into consideration as I looked around.

"The Earth Kingdom. When we enter the walls I can let you free. I'm sorry about this, but it's the only way we could have gotten past the Fire Nation soldiers."Zuko's grip tightened as another soldier came towards us. I lowered my head, looking away from the once proud prince of the Fire Nation.

Right now, Zuko and Iroh were both dressed up as Earth Kingdom peasants. My clothes looked even worse since I was a 'servant' to their family. I felt Zuko pull me to a stop, his grip shaking a slight bit.

"What business do you have within the walls?" A gruff voice clearly wasn't impressed by what was before him. I glanced up, seeing him stare at me with longing. A girl with red hair? Who has that? It didn't help that, as Zuko said it, I had a body most girls could kill for. Quite honestly, it came in good use when I needed to flirt my way out of the situation. Zuko disapproved, clearly unhappy that I had to use such dastardly ways.

Iroh's pleasant voice filled my ears, "We are simply travelling to visit our relatives. We have brought them a gift of a servant girl. Surely you must know what that's like. You big, strong Fire Nation soldiers must need a servant to take care of them. I'm sure that each of you has ten servants at least!" Iroh laughed, clapping the man's shoulder.

The large man frowned, "I do not have a servant. I think I must acquire one. You are right, my dear sir! Every Fire Nation soldier should have a servant!" Reaching out, he grabbed my chin, lifting my face to stare into my mesmerizing eyes. "Would you want to part with this one?"

"No." Zuko's answer was quick and short. It was clear he had no patience with such a man. Nor did he have patience for anyone that wanted to 'buy' me. His grip was hurting me to the point of pain but I simply stayed quiet; however curse words were stringing through my head.

The soldier laughed, "I didn't mean to offend you. She must be quite a servant if you feel that passionate about keeping her. I'm sure she does some special stuff for you." The man winked. I felt Zuko's body tense, clearly seeking a point to attack. I gripped his wrist with my fingers, digging my nails in. He glared at me, but visibly relaxed. "Anyways, go on through. Have a great visit."

The giant earth doors slowly creaked open, and we walked through. Immediately Zuko's hands fell from my wrists. I rubbed my wrists tenderly, wishing I could ease their pain right now. Sadly there were too many people around for that happiness. Instead, I proceeded to pull my hair back and put it in a pony tail to make seeing easier. My eyes and hair were a rare trait. Currently no one in the four nations had red hair. Only a few had my luminescent purple eyes.

"Kisuru," Iroh smiled, tapping my shoulder. "I think we should get you some new clothes. You look dreadful with those rags. A princess such as you should not be wearing such terrible garb." He made a tsking noise at me, clearly disapproving of my servant wear.

I laughed with him, making a flourishing bow. "This is quite the attire for someone of my stature I do believe, my good sir. It's loose and comfortable. Clearly this is my preferred wear." Truly, I didn't care. As long as I could bend I had no problems.

"Stop making such jokes." Zuko huffed at me, his eyes holding a fiery anger. "Uncle, you and I both know such jokes will cause trouble. Especially when they aren't even the right ones. She is not a princess, she is a goddess. A Divinity."

A Divinity. The way he said it almost made it sound like I had the plague. Yes, I was a Divinity. While the Avatar was the one who was reincarnated by the other Avatars, I was the keeper of the Avatar's soul. Without me, no reincarnation would come to be. I was, in terms, all the Avatar's together. Unlike the Avatar however, we are only born once every 500 years, which made us rare. Due to Avatar Aang's disappearance, I was born.

"Shush, Zuko." I placed a hand on the scar on his face. "Relax, I am not bothered by such trivial things as my title. I am me. I am Kisuru. I do not need anything more than to be with you." A smile lit up my face as I stared at him.

Zuko's eyes softened and he nuzzled my hand tenderly. Despite his attitude, he was a softy. Especially if you knew what made him happy.

Iroh grabbed my arm, pulling me away from Zuko. "I found some clothes over here!" He didn't stop dragging me until we were in the store.

The store keeper lit up, happily taking in my gorgeous red hair and piercing eyes. "I'm sure I can find something that will compliment you perfectly!" Running around like a chicken, he gathered a bunch of clothes, all but shoving me and them into a dressing room.

Outfit after outfit after outfit came and went. It seemed to take hours until I appeared with one of the last outfits. A beautiful green short sleeved shirt with no sleeves covered my torso. It had a beautiful golden detailing of cherry blossoms. My pants were light and breezy – perfect for bending. My shoes were simple, no heel, no constriction.

Zuko stood in awe, staring at me as if unsure of what to say. Instead, Iroh and the shop keeper said it for him.

"You're beautiful! Amazingly beautiful!" The shop keeper purred, clearly happy with what I was wearing.

"You look beautiful, my dear! Nothing would look finer on you than this outfit. Absolutely breath taking! What do you think Zuko?" Iroh turned to his nephew, a smile plastered all over his face.

Zuko gaped for a full minute, before looking away. "It's okay I guess."

A stab went through my chest, but I smiled anyways. "Thank you."

After everything he went through, he still acted so strange to me?

Sure, Zuko and I had been enemies. He had kidnapped me and tried to gain information from me. But being so close together for so long made things change. And since the Fire Nation was now after Zuko and Iroh, what was the use of trying to kill me? It had been a long process, but my bending abilities always came through when facing the Fire Nation Prince.

Now Zuzu had a soft spot for me. He was jealous, and it got to him fast. He was quick tempered, energetic, and fiery. But he was still the guy that had saved me when he could have let me die.

How couldn't I adore him?


	2. Fire Prince and Lady Divinity

Hello Nightians!

So, I'll make this quick but...

DRAMA CHAPTER :D

bwahahah

Enjoy.

* * *

"This is where it says it is…" Iroh's voice trailed off as he looked up to the small apartment that we were to share. I blinked. This wasn't what I was expecting. Zuko snorted, clearly unimpressed. It was obvious Zuko expected something more. Interesting considering he had been living on a metal boat for the last few years.

I bit my thumb nail, a nervous habit I had developed. "Well, I suppose we should go in and make ourselves at home. Not like anyone is really going to stop us."

"If they stop us it's because you should be covered up more," Zuko growled, his eyes narrowed as the young men walking by. I only sighed, shaking my head. Zuko needed to be more free spirited. He was too pent up with everything so he didn't enjoy life like he should. Poor guy.

We walked up the outside stair case, opening the door to our apartment. Sure enough, it really was small. The kitchen/living room was only about as big as a mini speed boat. Opening the door to the bedroom, I sighed. It would be a tight fit for the three of us. Heck, it would be a tight fit for even two of us. The bathroom wasn't much better, leaving barely any room to even stand up.

"Well, we can make this work." Iroh said, a happy smile covering up the worry his eyes were exhibiting.

"Face it, Uncle," Zuko hissed. "This place is pathetic. There is barely enough room for the three of us to stand in a circle, let alone lay down and sleep."

I glared at the man I looked up to. "Zuko, please!"

"No, no. He's very right. I'll see what I can do about a bigger apartment. I'll be back in a bit." Dejected, Iroh left the small apartment, clearly upset by what his nephew was saying to him. I felt bad for Iroh. He had been trying so hard for Zuko and Zuzu didn't even realize his generosity.

"Zuko…"

Zuzu snorted, rolling his eyes. "Don't start with me. I don't need to hear it from you." He ran a hand through his short hair. "I have been tracking the Avatar for so long… this is like some sort of vacation for my Uncle! He doesn't realize that my life depends on finding that Avatar and bringing him to my father. If I can do that… than I can regain my honour."

"Oh, divinity. Zuko, do you hear yourself? You're so devoted to saving your honour that you don't think about anyone except yourself! You captured me in hopes that I would lead you to the Avatar. When that didn't work, you tried threatening me. After that, commander Zhao found me tied up in your ship and proceeded to try and destroy me by terms of Agni Kai. Do you realize this? You're so caught up you are not thinking about the ones around you, Zuko! This is completely ridiculous. Until you realize who really is on your side, I'm out of here." I twirled around towards the door, rushing towards it.

Zuko's warm fingers wrapped around my wrist, pulling me to a forceful stop. "You don't get to walk away from me!"

"Really, Zuko? I don't get to walk away? You had me _locked away_ for months. I didn't see sun, except for when you threw fire in my face. Granted, you made sure I was fed and clothed. You made sure the men didn't do anything to me. But you kept me from being free; from having a life for myself. You stopped me from following my path. And the sad fact about it is that no one had missed me. No one looked for me. Being a Divinity I didn't have any family or friends or anything. I may have. You robbed me of the chance to have my own family, Zuko!"

"I was robbed of a family I actually new, dammit! I was robbed of my family by my own father. You want to talk about this? Than bring it on. I never asked you to stay with me. I let you go. It was your choice to stay here with me."

"Than why can't I leave now? You plan on locking me up again? Throwing away the key this time? Letting me _rot_ in your prisons or dungeons, _Prince Zuko_?"

"What about you, _Divinity_?" He shot back. "Are you going to turn my soul in for eternal damnation? Are you going to destroy my entire line of people just because I angered you?"

My temper flared, "Do not compare me to my predecessors! Should I start comparing you to your Grandfather? He committed the genocide of the Air Nomads! The only reason Aang got away was because he left the night before to run away from his destiny!" I glared at him. "Don't act like you're any different, Zuko. All in all you ran away from your destiny too. You were never supposed to capture the Avatar. Nor were you supposed to capture me. Due to the fact that no one as there when you had many soldiers-"

"You had many chances to leave, Lady Divinity. Why didn't you?"

"It is my job to help those that aren't following their paths, Fire Prince. Yours is obviously askew."

"Don't patronize me!" Zuko squeezed my wrist to the point of pain.

Without thinking, I lashed out, sending a wave of water from the kitchen sink into his face. Startled he pushed me away, letting me crash into the door. I slid to the floor, clutching my wrist. In a last ditch attempt, Zuko had sent out his fire, burning me in a hand grip.

He wiped the water out of his eyes, staring at me emotionlessly. Using my water bending I brought some ice cold water over to me, holding it around my wrist. The pain was excrutiating, and I bounced my head off the door hard, hoping it would take away the pain. Sadly it didn't much. But the look on Zuko's face said everything.

He hadn't mean to hurt me, but now he didn't know what to do.

"Kisuru." Zuko moved towards me, kneeling down in front of me.

"Don't." I hissed, my temper still risen.

Zuzu's eyes narrowed, "You know what? Just leave. I don't care about you, and I don't want to have to baby sit you! Just leave and never come back!"

"As you wish, _Fire Prince Zuko_." I snarled, standing up to open the door. "Just remember that the next time we meet… we will be enemies." I slammed the door shut behind me.


	3. Pleased To Meet You

It's one am...

I've been up since 3 am...

I'M SO TIRED.

Enjoy and good night.

Urgh...

* * *

I flicked my hand, trying to disperse the burning sensation that was coursing through me. With each moment it flared up with worse pain. That sounded about right. Pain was what Divinities were to hold. Each painful moment in the past, every single sting of it. I could see it plain as day – as though they were my own memories to hold. I could see Roku's demise at the hands of his best friend. I could see Kyoshi's greatest battle – even hear her blood curdling yell. I could see the night Aang's was swept up in a giant storm.

I could see everything, but yet it felt like I could see nothing. I was blind to fate. I was blind to my own reasons. My thoughts, my opinions, my voice – they were not mine half the time. They were the Avatar's. Even Aang's although he was not dead yet. It was like living two lives – a most painful part of being a Divinity. We had fate set out for us, although we could not see it.

The thoughts I was creating caused me to not look where I was going. With a few more steps, I had crashed into someone. That wasn't all that surprising considering how crowded the streets were, but it still hurt nonetheless.

I rubbed my head tenderly, cussing under my breath. "Sorry about that."

I looked up into a pair of warm brown eyes. "My apologies, miss. I was not watching where I was going." A straw twig moved from one side of his mouth to the other as a smirk touched his lips. "However, when I woke up this morning, I sure wasn't expecting to run into someone as beautiful as you."

My crystalized eyes stared at him for a full moment before I burst out into laughter. In return, he seemed quite offended with my stream of laughs. In fact, he seemed down right irritated by it. Clasping my knees, an ache started to worm into my stomach from the laughter.

I turned around, whipping a tear from my eye. "Thanks for the laugh, bud. See you around." I flicked my hand up, waving at him.

"Hold up." He reached out, grabbing my burnt wrist. I hissed, recoiling even further. His hands shot up in an 'I didn't mean any harm' gesture. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you."

"No you didn't hurt me." I rubbed my wrist tenderly. "I burnt myself whilst cooking a meal. It's still a little sore. It looks ridiculous too." Cringing, I slid the lie through my teeth.

The man narrowed his eyes at me for a few seconds before softening his face. "I understand. Cooking is a dangerous yet fascinating art, is it not?"

"Uh… yeah." I nodded. I looked him up and down, cocking an eyebrow. "Who are you by the way?"

He gave me a graceful bow, "I am Jet, dear lady. May I ask your name?"

I let a small smirk quirk up, "I am Kisuru."

Jet blinked at me, "You're… a Divinity?"

I recoiled on instinct. Normally if people knew us on contact, it meant they were hunting us. "I don't know what you're talking about." My eyes were narrowed at him, carefully gauging him.

"I don't mean any harm." Jet laughed, returning his twig to the other side of his mouth. Something was intriguing about this man. He didn't seem to care who or what I was. Although we did run into each other, he didn't brush me off like most people did. It was interesting.

"Look, I better go." I moved to walk around him.

A surprised look crossed Jet's face before he ran a hand through his messy hair. "Hold up. Can I treat you to some dumplings as an apology?"

Now it was I who was confused, "Apology for what?"

He frowned at me, "Well, I did run into you. As well I made you uncomfortable. It's the least I can do."

I let the thought roll around in my head. What could it hurt? Zuko had kicked me out, so I really didn't have a home at the moment. Food would really be nice – especially food I didn't have to steal. I placed a finger to my lips, thinking about it. In reality, what would it matter? The sky was growing dark and I was hungry.

"Sure, some dumplings sound great."

Jet smiled at me, giving me a small bow before offering me the crook of his arm. With a laugh, I placed my hand in it, and we began to walk.

Jet handed the menu to the waitress, who all but drooled over the man seated before me. He promptly ignored her, turning to me with a smile in his eyes. The man before me was intriguing and interesting. He seemed to have no self-control when it came to the filter on his mouth however.

"You have some very pretty eyes." Jet murmured, placing his hands together and under his chin. "Very unique. I've met many people – none with eyes like you."

I rested my chin on the top of my hand, "Are you trying to seduce me, Jet?"

A laugh resonated through him, making me smile. "Tell me something, princess. If I was trying to seduce you, is it working?"

"If I said no, would you be offended?"

"Yes."

"Than no."

Jet tsked at me, "You're rude, my lady."

I shook my head as the waiter brought us our drinks. The fruit beverage before me gave off a most pleasing aroma, and I took a sip of it. It was sweet yet sour. The taste was bitter yet smooth. It was delicious and I loved it.

"This is interesting." I indicated to the drink.

Jet only smiled slightly before talking, "So… why is a Divinity here?"

I sighed. Quite honestly, I didn't want to get into it. Besides, how could I explain that the Fire Prince was the reason why I was here? Somehow I couldn't see that going over well.

"Fate."

Jet groaned at my answer, shaking his head. "I'm serious. Why are you here in the Earth Kingdom? I thought that Divinities lived in the Temples in the four nations. This, last I checked, most definitely is not a temple."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, "This Divinity doesn't follow what the others have followed."

"Clearly," Jet smiled. "Seriously, Kisuru. Why?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. The world is in a chaotic state. Between the Fire Nation raids, the genocide of the Air benders, the attacks on the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes… you honestly cannot expect me to stay in one single place do you? I have a lot of work to do. I have people to protect. And above all else, I must honour my ancestry."

"That sounds so script yet from the heart." Jet noted, inclining his head to me. "A quaint tale isn't it? The Fire Nation is why I'm here. They killed my family, then proceeded to raid villages close to where I was. I'm part of a group – The Freedom Fighters. We protect those who need protecting. Fairy tale hero stuff, you know?"

I paused, taking in the man before me. "So you hate the Fire Nation?"

"Yes." He murmured as plates were placed before us.

We ate in half silence, half idle chatter. It had been so long since I talked to someone that wasn't Iroh or Zuko. It was strange.

"Kisuru?" I nearly dropped my chopsticks as I heard Iroh's voice. I coughed, trying to clear my lungs. Grabbing my drink, I gulped down a few sips before turning to him.

"M-Mushi," I said, greeting him with his fake name. "What are you up to?"

He smiled at me politely, "I could ask you the same, my dear."

I decided to state the truth, "Well, it would seem your nephew kicked me out."

Iroh frowned at me, "Li did that, huh?"

"Li?" Jet interrupted. "Who's that? Your boyfriend?"

Iroh and I both let out a snort at the same time. We shared a look that clearly said Zuko only wished to be that lucky. On the other hand, Zuko would be too stubborn to realize if he was my boyfriend or even boyfriend material. I'm sure that, at the end of the day, Zuko wouldn't want me anyways.

"Definitely not her boyfriend. They are simply friends. I've known Kisuru since she was a child. She's like the daughter I never had." The sincerity in those words brought tears to my eyes. I had wanted a family for so long – since Divinities were forbidden to have ties to anyone – and here was one presented to me.

I smiled at Iroh, happiness radiating out of every pore.

"Anyways, Li has no say in who resides within my home. Come Kisu, it is late. We should get back." Iroh glanced at me, smiling every so brightly.

I stood, brushing off my clothes from crumbs. "Thank you, Jet. I appreciate the meal. You're a good guy. I hope you find the retribution you seek."

"Will I see you again?" Jet asked, looking deep into my eyes.

Before I could stop myself, I nodded. "Sure. That would be nice."

He smiled before nodding at me. "Yes it would."

Iroh pulled me into the street, laughing a little bit. "That boy is head over heels for you, my dear. See? You are extraordinarily enchanting. Do you believe me now? Well, even if you don't, it really doesn't matter. Hey, what happened to your wrist?" Iroh stopped pulling me to look at it. After a second, a light dawned in his eyes. Fury darkened them immediately.

"He hurt you?"

"We fought. Zuko didn't mean to. I hurt him too."

After a second, Iroh nodded, "Good." We walked towards our apartment in silence. When we arrived, Iroh opened the door for me. The first sight I saw was Zuko asleep in a corner chair. In front of him was a solitary lit candle. Purple in color, it was obvious he who he had been thinking about.

_Me._

"He must have felt bad to burn your purple candle."

"So it would seem."

I reached out to him, shaking him slightly. Zuko was awake in seconds, jumping to his feet in a fighting position. I held my hands up, trying to show him I wasn't here to fight him. Slowly, he relaxed, sleep once again clouding him.

"I'm sorry." He slurred through sleep.

"It's okay, Zuzu. Come, sleep with me tonight. Give your uncle some space here."

Zuko nodded, barely keeping his eyes open. "Okay. I'm sorry, Kisu. I didn't mean to hurt you. I really didn't. It was an accident…"

"Shh." I held the bedroom door open for him, bidding Iroh a quick good night before closing it. When I turned around, Zuko stood right before me.

"Zuko, what're you-"

His eyes held a sadness to them as he brushed the hair out of my face. Zuzu's eyes looked down my body to my wrist, where he whimpered. I touched his face, drawing his eyes back up to mine.

"It's fine, sweeting."

"It's my fault."

"Zuko-"

"No. It's my fault. I'm sorry." Zuko leaned in close. "It's my fault for hurting you this way. I wish I could take it back."

"Apology accepted. Now… let's go to bed."

"Yes," Zuko murmured. "Bed."

Zuzu staggered over, collapsing on the thin mattress. Sighing, I slid in beside him, tucking him in like a little child.

Right before drifting off, I caught the familiar sent of alcohol in the air.


End file.
